


Seashells

by Eye_Heart



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Sburb Session, Alternate Universe - No Sgrub Session, At least I hope it's fluff, F/F, Fluff, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, broken diamonds, pale breakups
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-18
Updated: 2013-06-18
Packaged: 2017-12-15 08:19:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/847345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eye_Heart/pseuds/Eye_Heart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your name is Aradia Megido.  All you wanted was to investigate some ruins.  (and maybe find out a little more about the Handmaid.)  But here you are, stuck under the the blue-black waves of Alternia's ocean, and it seems that it will be a while before you can go adventuring again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. drowning

Aradia awoke with a start, and the pain brought on by the sudden movement was enough to distract her from her surroundings for a few moments. She was in a strange and unfamiliar room. 

... _very _strange. It was... clean. And colourful. Her own home was a little dark, and a bit too dusty, crumbling artifacts cluttering up corners and crannies, and most of the color coming from the occasional streak of dark red. Here, there is light from the windows rippling over the walls. This room was... pink. More like... purple. Oh. Then she remembers what she was doing before she found herself here, and jolts again. Rushing water, no air to breathe, the little breath she'd had being knocked out of her, the dark cavern made darker by black water, and then, nothing.__

__How is she even breathing now?_ _

__The room is filled with rugs and potted plants. Aradia makes a move to sit up, to pull herself up out of the recupracoon, but falls back again with a wince. She aches all over, and there are sharp pains throughout her body. A particularly searing pain goes through her leg. She lays there, unmoving, the ache to much to let her feel sleepy, but the cocoon to comfortable to let her feel completely miserable either. When she lies still the afflictions subside. Only when she moves does the real suffering start. So she lays still. She realizes that she is in unfamiliar pajamas, and she is wearing several bandages, too._ _

__After a while (five minutes? half an hour?) Muffled footsteps can be heard. Then the door is opened._ _

____CC: Oh My GLUB!!!  
 __CC: You're AWAK----E!!!  
 __CC: Do you )(urt a lot?  
 __CC: I )(ope you )(aven't been up long,  
 __CC: I mean, alone,  
 __CC: Oh dear.  
 __CC: Do you need anyt)(ing?

__Feferi is staring worriedly, standing in the middle of the room. This is the first time you've seen her, outside of video chats. You had always felt kind of sorry for her, oddly enough. She was at the top of the spectrum, you were at the bottom. But she was the heiress to a throne she would never inherit, and when she tried, she would surely be killed. If that was what royal privilege brought you, well..._ _

____ AA: Um, Feferi...  
CC: I mean, y-  
CC: oops, yes?!  
AA: What happened?  
CC: you were...  
CC: You were drowning.  
CC: Eridan broug)(t you )(ere!  
CC: )(e was making )(is rounds, you know, to feed Mom, t)(en one of t)(e islands sort of... imploded.  
CC: Or, t)(e side of it did,  
CC: And t)(ere you were.  
CC: W)(at were you doing?  
CC: How did you get )(--ER--E?  
CC: I mean, t)(is far from the s)(or--E?

__Aradia takes a deep breath, coughs a little from the action, and begins to recount her memories._ _

__\--------------_ _

__She'd been following a network of tunnels that reached out beneath the ocean floor, recording the inscriptions on the walls. It was pretty fascinating, a hidden history of the most violent and rebellious periods in Alternia's history. The catalyst for each of these "colourful ages" was attributed to the Handmaid._ _

__Now, Aradia had always claimed that she held little stock in Ancestors. But she and Tavros had been FLARPing with the Scourge Sisters for long enough for their (borderline obsessive) ways to rub off a little, and privately, she had always been interested in The Handmaid. It didn't even matter, really, that the Handmaid probably didn't actually exist, or that she might not even be Aradia's ancestor. She was impressive anyway._ _

__So Aradia had been excavating tunnels, going farther ad farther out, when they had suddenly taken a turn upwards. Stairs were revealed from the rubble of a cave in. She'd been cautious ascending, of course. One couldn't be too careful. She'd emerged into a cavern, a room where one wall was covered in clocks of all kinds, and another, a single clock, the gears working deep behind the stone wall, unreachable. She'd been so excited, planning to message Tavros, ask him to help her remove the clocks so she could take them back up to the surface for a closer examination. Then a rumbling, rocks flying, water rushing in, darkness._ _

__\--------------_ _

____ AA: So. I guess...  
AA: You said Eridan found me?  
AA: Huh.  
AA: I...  
AA: suppose I'll have to thank him.  
AA: ...  
AA: How long have I been out?  
CC: A couple of days.  
CC: When )(e saved you, he broug)(t you to the surface, and you were awake for a w)(ile.  
CC: But you got )(it on the )(ead in the cav--E IN, and you passed out again,  
CC: and t)(en )(e broug)(t you )(ere,  
CC: ...)(e was really worried actually,  
CC: w)(ich was kind of cute considering  
CC: ...  
CC: you know.  
CC: )(is ridiculous, overblown prejudice against lowbloods,  
CC: and landdwellers in general.

__She trails off a little embarrassedly, but you're actually smiling. It is kind of funny, you guess._ _

CC: Your leg got broken, too, but we set it.  
CC: I t)(ink you're going to be alrig)(t.  
CC: We were a little worried w)(en you wouldn't wake up, t)(oug)(!  
AA: So, now where am I?  
CC: O)(, we're on t)(e very top of my )(ive.  
CC: T)(is floor is only )(alf underwater!  
CC: usually.  
CC: It's )(igh tide rig)(t now, but the water never comes in.  
CC: T)(is is my gr--E---EN)(OUS----E!  
CC: Kanaya suggested that I try my )(and at gardening,  
CC: since I was telling )(er )(ow disappointed I was t)(at the cuttlefis)( never stay,  
CC: and s)(e said "Plants Don't Wander, You Can Care For Them As Long As You Wish"  
CC: ...  
CC: I t)(ink your going to be alrig)(t,

__she repeated,_ _

CC: But...  
CC: I'm a little worried about moving you!  
CC: Would you mind staying )(ere for a w)(ile before we take you back?

__Oh. Aradia feels a little uncomfortable, realizing abruptly that she's already been imposing on the heiress for quite some time now. But she remembers that this is Feferi, and that taking care of things is her favorite pastime, and Aradia feels a little less guilty._ _

AA: Thank you.  
AA: That's really nice of you.  
AA: Would you mind if I borrowed your husktop for a minute?  
AA: I want to message some of our friends.  
AA: I don't want them to worry.  
CC: Of cours--E!  
CC: I already messaged t)(em.  
CC: But I'm sur--E t)(at t)(ey'll be R--E--ELY glad to )(ear from you directly.  
CC: And know t)(at you're awak--E!

__She darts out of the room, off to fetch her husktop. Aradia starts to relax and close her eyes, but the darkness behind her eyelids reminds her of the blackness of the water crashing around her, dashing her against the rock. She jolts. How is she even alive?_ _

__...Well. She's going to be fine now, and the hive of a princess was probably a enviable location, if you had to be stuck away from home. Even if she was confined to bed rest. Damn, she was sore. And her messed-up leg was "reel-y" starting to bother her. She hopes Feferi will hurry back. It seems that nervous, bubbly chatter can be strangely comforting._ _


	2. Chapter 2

Aradia was dying.

Of boredom.

She usually spent most of her time outside, FLARPING, or among ruins, or in caves, and when she was inside she was usually working to clean or catalog her artifacts, or else she was messaging her friends.

Right now she could only do one of those things. Feferi had loaned her a husktop for use whenever she wanted, so she could at least talk to the others. There had been worries to assuage, and the others were mostly sympathetic. All Vriska had wanted to know was when she could FLARP again, and whether or not such a weakling was strong enough to be playing with the Scourge without getting her poor fragile self hurt, hmm? Sollux was asking if he could come and visit her. They were palemates, after all. She'd told him that he'd have to check with Feferi. She wished her host would hurry back. 

Everyone was offline now. Sollux hadn't really stayed on to talk for very long, and he'd seemed a little awkward as he'd tried to cheer her up. Maybe things would be more comfortable in person. They had a pretty serendipitous moirallegiance, she thought. Even when they were just friends, they'd been so close, and she'd always worried about him, what with his mood swings and insomnia and abrasiveness. She smiled a little. He'd always given Karkat a bad time for his temper, but really, Sollux was almost as bad. 

He cared a lot about her, too, she knew he did. 

But… sometimes it seemed like they were missing something. Most of the time, actually. 

\--------------------------------------------------------

Sollux Captor was worried. FF had been pretty reassuring, but it had helped to hear from AA herself. It had been difficult to concentrate on his coding for the past couple of days, and he'd felt guilty whenever he tried. He felt especially bad because just before FF had messaged him to tell him about the incident, he'd been wondering whether this moirallegiance had ever really been the best idea. It seemed like it. They loved to hang out together. She was so good at helping him with his issues, and he was pretty good at helping her with her problems, too. When she had any. Like right now.

He really was worried.

It was just that, it seemed like they only felt pale during a crisis. Romance under romantic circumstances only? But they loved each other regardless. Could you love someone out of quadrants? There was platonic hate, so maybe. But he'd sort it out later. 

CC: S)(ore, you can visit )(er!!  
CC: I'm reel sorry.  
CC: I s)(ould )(ave invited you earlier!  
TA: That'2 ok.   
TA: Thank2 for taking care of her.  
TA: IIt2 not often 2he need2 help.  
CC: S)(e is usually pretty good at keeping t)(ings toget)(er, isn't s)(e?  
CC: I'm s)(ore )(aving a moirail like you )(elps, t)(oug)(?  
TA: …

Your name is Sollux Captor, and your face is a most unflattering shade of yellow right now.

CC: …sorry, was t)(at  
CC: um.  
CC: You two seem to be reel-y good toget)(er is all.  
CC: I'm s)(ore s)(ell be very )(appy to see you!  
TA: thank2.  
TA: and that'2 ok.  
TA: II mean  
TA: thank2  
TA: ALSO thank2.  
TA: for the compliiment.  
TA: II gue22,  
TA: 2orry  
TA: II gue22 II'l 2ee you 2oon?  
CC: alrig)(t!  
CC: >38 ]

cuttlefishCuller [CC] ceased trolling TwinArmageddons [TA]  
\-------------------------------------------------------------  
CC: )(ere, just sit up like t)(is…

Your name is Aradia Megido, and Feferi Peixes has prepared you a feast. At least, as much of one as she could fit on the folding table she had moved into Aradia's quarters. Aradia didn't recognize any of the dishes being served. It looked like fish, mostly.  
Feferi had moved a large, comfortable-looking chair close to the table. Aradia was trying to figure out how she was going to get from the recupracoon to the chair when Feferi solved the problem for her.  
CC: Just put your arms around my neck,  
CC: and I'll carry you to t)(e c)(air!  
AA: Feferi, I'm not sure that-  
AA: oop!  
Seadwellers sure are strong.  
Aradia is deposited (gently) onto the chair, the springy cushions bouncing her a little when she lands. She realizes she is getting sopor all over the princess's furniture. _Oops._ Feferi notices.  
CC: O)(!  
CC: I'm sorry!  
CC: You'll want to clean up before you eat, won't you!  
CC: I'll go get a clot)(, I guess.

She goes and gets one.  
Upon returning, she recognizes Aradia's distress over the furniture, and reassures her.

CC: Don't worry, I'll take care of t)(at. 

Aradia cleans quickly, and notices that none of the slime has soaked into the smooth fabric of the chair. Of course. Everything in this hive is waterproof.  
They begin the meal. Aradia tries bit of puff-fish. hmm. Some seaweed salad. That's… pretty tasty, actually. Then she tries a bit of meat she can't really identify. Is that… gobblebeast? She and her lusus ate some once, for Twelfth Perigree's Eve! It tasted just as good now as it had then. Saltier, maybe.

CC: Is the meal alrig)(t?  
CC: I guess you don't usually )(ave seafood.  
AA: I love it!  
AA: Where did you get the gobblebeast? I thought they only liked to live where it was dry.  
CC: Gobblebeast? T)(at's a flap-creature. W)(at's a gobblebeast?

Aradia describes it for her, and starts to talk about that one Twelfth Perigree's Eve. This turns into a discussion about the differences between seadweller and landdweller holiday customs. 

CC: So, at our )(oliday feast, we're supposed to be t)(ankful t)(at Gl' bgolyb )(asn't emitted t)(e Vast Glub, and t)(at )(er Imperial Bi******s remains in power,   
CC: but I don't do eit)(er one.  
CC: I t)(ank Mom for keeping )(er voice down ALL T)(--E GLUBBIN TIM-----E,  
CC: and I'm nev--Er exactly grateful for t)(e long and illustrious reign of )(er-Most-)(ig)(-Glubbin-)(ig)(ness,  
CC: so w)(y bot)(er, you know?  
CC: *sig)(*  
CC: …..

Aradia never realized how sarcastic Feferi got when she talked about the Condesce, a sharp inflection in her tone, and her voice a little lower than it's usual high bubblyness. 

CC: Anyway, so after t)(e dinner, some trolls )(ave t)(eir lusii race.   
CC: Everyone always goes to watc)(.  
CC: W)(at do you do after t)(e meal?  
AA: Well, if you have quadrantmates, you might exchange presents with them.  
AA: Sometimes with just friends, too.  
AA: We send the package ahead of time,  
AA: but they're not allowed to open it until right before dawn…  
CC: T)(at sounds like fun!

She's smiling again, and Aradia notices how messy her hair is. She was out swimming before she started on dinner, and it's still wet. It's also rather pretty, mess though it is. She'd also noticed, a while ago, that Feferi had a lot of freckles. They were pinkish-purple. And ridiculously adorable. She quickly turns her eyes back to the plate, lest Feferi think she was staring, but the heiress's attention seem's to be elsewhere. She's frowning now, grimacing, almost, brow furrowed.

CC: W)(at's it like?

She almost blurts.

AA: What?

Aradia starts.  
AA: Holiday presents?  
CC: No.  
CC: Almost drowning.

Aradia winces.

CC: I'm sorry. You don't )(ave to talk about it if you don't want to.  
CC: It's just...  
CC: I can't imagine w)(at it must )(ave been like!

So Aradia told her. About the water burning in her lungs, the pressure and disorientation, the darkness. Her whole body had been in pain. She was surprised to realize that she remembered a little more now. She had seen Eridan swimming towards her right before she passed out, and she asked Feferi when he would be coming around. She still hadn't had a chance to thank him.  
The princess rolled her eyes. 

CC: I don't know.  
CC: I t)(ink it's making )(im feel conflicted.  
CC: Saving a landdweller.  
CC: But )(e'll )(ave to turn up sc)(ooner or later.  
CC: I gave )(im a royal ultimatum. 

The heiress grins, and her guest can't help but laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Can someone please help me come up with a better troll name for seagull? Also, I haven't tagged Sollux/Aradia as moirails because I plan on that ending. Same with Feferi/Eridan. Is there some sort of "temporary relationship tag" I should use for that?


End file.
